"An untidy, uncoordinated, lugubrious man with a mildly irritated air and a reedy, doleful voice, Sykes did not look or sound at all like a comedian. One aspect of his appeal was that he was more like the bloke behind the counter of a DIY shop, or a harrassed minor local government official."

It is one of the many tributes being paid to the millworkers son who brought laughter to millions.

Back in Oldham, David Martin, executive director at Oldham Coliseum Theatre, told the Manchester Evening News today of his importance in the Coliseum's history "Eric was a very important player here and he spent a lot of his formative years working here. He was a very important part of the theatre after the war and into the 50s and 60s."

Eric Sykes – who found his forte writing and acting in TV situation comedy in the late 1950s and continued to appear on television, stage and in films well into his 80s – has died aged 89 after a short illness. We celebrate his career in pictures